The sailor in the photo is Frank Messina. Photo Taken by Steve Domjan at Stehle in a North Westerly.

Sailing in Bayville is usually from the public beach Stehle, (the west end is the only area from where it is allowed to launch -- but nobody checks in the fall). You can get to this site from the town of Oyster Bay through: East Main Street - West Shore Road - Bayville Ave (a total of about 5 miles). In the summer there's a 10$ parking lot fee. Parking at other beach access sites are for residents only. The beach faces north, and has a great fetch for both NW and NE winds. These winds come with frontal passage during the fall (and spring) and can be really strong. In the summer the place is dead or maybe good for learning. In NW and NE there is an unpleasant shore break, never dangerous but can damage sails/boards. In these conditions the site is for intermediates and up. The bottom falls out very close to the shore (even in low tide). You need to be able to waterstart. There is always chop and farther out (>1/4 mile, quite good wind induced swell). Very good for novice bump and jump sailing, doesn't get too intimidating. There are submerged rocks close to the shore eastwards from where you drive into the parking lot. You also need boots, the bottom is full of small rocks, crabs and stuff.

After a session you can have dinner in Oyster Bay or drive to the nearby Cold Spring Harbor which is a beautiful old town famous for it's ambience and an old Marine Biology lab.

STEHLI BEACH:
495E to x41N (rte 106 N)
proceed to town center Oyster Bay
left on W. Main
at "T", left onto Bayville AVE
Watch for "Ransom Beach" just past "Steve's Pier One"
Next beach is Stehli
(it's unmarked; road takes sharp turn away from water at
entrance; see green sign for "ICN VILLAGE OF LATTINGTON")

Sensor Notes

Meter is located at the tip of Matinecock Point, bout a mile to the west of Stehli Beach. From the water's edge at tehli, look for the building that's ll by itself and sticks well out into the Sound.
The sensor has a fantastic 270 degree fetch. So we'll get clean readings for all side-shore and on-shore winds at the Bayville beaches. The meter has such a good westerly fetch that it should also be an excellent indication for these winds at West Meadow beach.
Observations from West Meadow Beach show that readings from the NW may be a bit high. It may be better to go off of the Lull readings as your averages. Also, West Meadow Beach tends to drop earlier on a NW wind than does the sensor at Bayville.
Please note that while the meter may have a great fetch in all these directions, your beach may not. For example, easterly winds at
Stehli are blocked by points of
land upwind, whereas the meter has
no such blockage. Hence, easterly readings may be much higher than the winds you'll find at Stehli or Center Island.